Love is Patient: Happy 21st!!!

Happy 21st Birthday to my baby brother!!! I CANNOT believe that Michael turned 21 on February 5th! Where do all these years go?!?!? Granted...he's been 21 for well over a month now. But still, I remember waiting at the hospital for him to be born and it seems like it was just the other day!

This year, his birthday was actually on Super Bowl Sunday...which made it even more fun because everyone was geared up to watch the game and grill out. For lunch, he wanted to go out to Perini's and eat, which is a family favorite! My dad called and made reservations for 11:30, which was nice because it gave us plenty of time after church to come home and let the dogs out for a bit and still early enough that there wasn't a huge crowd. On Sundays, Perini's has an old fashioned lunch buffet...just like the way Grandma used to cook! So they say anyways...I always order off the menu! The buffet includes: fried chicken, chicken fried steak, smoked ham, pinto beans, green beans, corn, potatoes, gravy, green salad, cucumber and onion salad, hot rolls, and bread pudding and strawberry shortcake for dessert. It always looks really good...I just don't eat foods like that. So, I order the grilled chicken or grilled chicken sandwich...which melts in your mouth! My mom is a vegetarian, so she really loves the buffet because she can get all the veggies she wants...plus they have a few special things on the buffet that don't come on the regular menu. And of course the boys love the buffet because all the meat on the menu is only available on Sundays when you get the buffet. Not only that...but you can go back as many times as you want! My dad and mom both went back twice and Cody and Michael went back four times! I do have to say...the pieces of meat they give you are smaller than you typical portion sizes...so really...they probably only had two good sized steaks...plus all the fixins! Michael's girlfriend works at Perini's...and she was our waitress when we went! So that was really fun...plus she's so sweet and we got to spend some time with her while we were there eating.

After lunch, mom, dad, and Michael dropped us off at our house because we had a few errands to run. Brittany (Michael's girlfriend) had planned to have all his friends and family over at her and her parent's house for dinner that night. They were going to grill out and of course...watch the game! Because there were going to be so many people, we all had a few things that we were going to bring to the party so that we could help out and give her more time to get other things ready. Since she had to work that day, there wasn't as much time for her to prepare for everything. Cody and I waited until the last minute to get the things we were bringing...so off to the store we went! Brittany was making hamburgers, hot dogs, chili, baked potatoes, chips, hot sauce, and queso, and of course all the fixins and a veggie tray with dip! She also made funfetti cupcakes with buttercream frosting for dessert...Michael's favorite! We were in charge of the buns for the hamburgers and hot dogs and all the veggies and cheese to go on them...and the veggie tray and dip! When we left the house, we decided to go to Sam's because it would be cheaper. Then Albertson's for the veggies and stuff since we didn't need as many of them. Let me tell you...both places were a mad house! There were so many people in both places buying things for last minute parties...and a lot of people just buying their everyday groceries. Not the best day to just do your normal grocery shopping that's for sure! We got home and had a couple of hours to spare before we headed out to Britt's, so we just chilled with the pups and watched some tv and pre-game stuff.

Around 4:00 we headed out to Brittany's house to begin the birthday/Super Bowl festivities! Everything was still being cooked, but the pre-game show was on and everyone was ready to snack, eat, visit, watch the game, and have a good time! It was so much fun to be with everyone and for all Michael's friends to be there to celebrate his birthday with him. The food was also amazing! There was so much to choose from and everything was seriously delicious! Brittany's step-dad grilled the hamburgers and hot dogs out on the grill...which is always so good. You just can't get much better than a hamburger and hot dog off the grill...all those yummy char marks...my mouth is watering just thinking about it! They had also bought two different kinds of chicken sausage. Both kinds were so good. I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to eat because I wanted a little bit of everything! So, I just had to cut a few bits off of a hot dog and both kinds of chicken sausage so I could have a little sample. I just couldn't pass up a hamburger...so that's exactly what I had! I put a little bit of the chili on it with a little taste of the queso...and man it was so good! But like I've said a million times in this post...all the food was to die for!

For the rest of the evening, we watched the game and just sat around and visited. It was so fun to sit back and listen to the stories Michael and his friends were telling. Those boys are all a mess! But, the good kind of mess. You know...the funny, silly, light-hearted, and also loving mess! These boys are really more like brothers, and have been ever since they were in elementary school. It's a pretty unique relationship that they all have. And it makes it fun for all of us because we feel like we have an extended family through them. All their parents are precious and I really feel like I have seven brothers instead of one! We laughed and joked and talked...really more than we watched the game. But it was so fun! Cody and I decided to head out after the halftime show. We both had work the next day and we knew that the pups would be ready to play and be loved on before they calmed down and were really ready for bed. So, we headed out and finished watching the game at our house. Overall, I think Michael had a pretty good 21st and it was so much fun to celebrate his day with him! I'm so proud of the man that he has grown into and for all he has accomplished in his 21 years and I look forward to watching him grow for many more years to come. He's been my best friend and partner in crime ever since he was born and I'm so blessed to have him as my baby brother. I love you Michael!

Michael and Brittany out at Perini's!

Me and my (big) little brother!!! It's kinda hard to say he's my little brother when he's about 10 inches taller than I am! And in this picture...I'm wearing 5 inch heels!